1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor device. More particularly, it pertains to a silicon interposer with circuit devices fabricated on the scribe line or kerf between chips.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As known in the art, integrated circuits (IC's) are typically assembled into a package that is mounted to a printed circuit board or a motherboard of a computer system. The IC may be mounted to a substrate or an interposer, and then encapsulated with a plastic or epoxy material.
A process known to those skilled in the art as flip-chip technology may be used to attach an IC to a substrate with the IC's I/O (input/output) side (or active side) facing down toward the mounting surface of the substrate or interposer.
Typically, the interposer “fans-out” the relatively small die pad pitch of the integrated circuit to the larger contact pad pitch of the printed circuit board. It would be desirable to utilize the interposer for functions other than fanning out the signals of the integrated circuit.